Meeting Discipline / Etiquette

[Kiltie]

I wonder if anyone has any advice on how to turn people on to how good life can be if meetings are conducted "properly".

Here's what I observe on a daily basis.

• People arriving late or having to be phoned or "found" (despite having had Outlook calendar training).
• Inappropriate invitees (sometimes key people not invited / often invited people surplus to requirements).
• Inadequate preparation / no agenda.
• No introduction to let people know why they're there.
• People who turn up and don't contribute (sigh / sleep / sit at the back with "I don't want to be here" body language).
• People going way off topic and telling irrelevant stories.
• Chairpersons not keeping control of content and timing.
• No summing up of conclusions and actions.
• An acceptance that it's fine to run way past the scheduled duration instead of reconvening.
• No follow up with notes or minutes.
• Mobile devices not set to silent (so we get a nice ping every time someone receives an email.

For this particular thing, I'm worried that the big stick approach could be counterproductive.

I try to chip away by setting a good example and recognising when things are done right.

Most of the time though, I feel like ...

Has anyone else been here and found a way through it?

Edited by Kiltie on Sunday 30th November 13:39

[andy-xr]

There was a LinkedIn article about this that i remember a while ago, basically start meetings at odd times, like 11.25, have them last for 12 minutes, and if anyone suggests exploring a topic, state that the meeting agenda is for xyz, anything else goes for another time. Meetings are for agreement of things, not discussion

I think it also said the best meetings are ones done standing up because people get comfy and CBA when they're sat down thinking about biscuits and other things.

I dont really like going into anything unstructured, I'd rather have a set agenda that says by the end of the meeting we'll have agreed ABC and any queries or notsures about this should be ironed out before the meeting starts, otherwise you're not going to get heard

[Lotus Notes]

You need the following:

(1) A good company or country culture of meetings.
(2) A good organiser who sends an agenda and gets agreement from participants having not invited the world!
(3) A good experienced chairperson who can run a meeting and take no nonsense.

Your meetings sound like the worst and most memorable one I had with the NHS (I won't mention the hospital). Fourteen people turned up, ten of whom didn't want to be there and no-one wanted to make a decision on anything. I asked ten people to leave and got on with the meeting.

The best was with Statoil in Easington. Let's say that no time was wasted and everyone knew what they had to do - But when you're talking deadlines and astronomical amounts of money, people behave appropriately.

The only way to improve is for the top man (site, regional or the CEO) to acknowledge that change is needed and get some basic meeting principles agreed throughout the business, otherwise you'll be herding cats..

Edited by Lotus Notes on Sunday 30th November 15:48

[Animal]

A good chairperson is essential, preferably one who hates meetings. Also try locking out latecomers.

[GT03ROB]

Set the rules you want. Everyone agrees to them.

1. 1 in the pot for each breach enforced by the peer pressure. Money to charity or next piss up.

Basically enforce consequences for breach of mutually agreed rules.

[LooneyTunes]

Kiltie said:

1 People arriving late or having to be phoned or "found" (despite having had Outlook calendar training).
2 Inappropriate invitees (sometimes key people not invited / often invited people surplus to requirements).
3 Inadequate preparation / no agenda.
4 No introduction to let people know why they're there.
5 People who turn up and don't contribute (sigh / sleep / sit at the back with "I don't want to be here" body language).
6 People going way off topic and telling irrelevant stories.
7 Chairpersons not keeping control of content and timing.
8 No summing up of conclusions and actions.
9 An acceptance that it's fine to run way past the scheduled duration instead of reconvening.
10 No follow up with notes or minutes.
11 Mobile devices not set to silent (so we get a nice ping every time someone receives an email.

For this particular thing, I'm worried that the big stick approach could be counterproductive.

I try to chip away by setting a good example and recognising when things are done right.

Most of the time though, I feel like ...

Has anyone else been here and found a way through it?

That sounds like a special sort of hell for anyone with even the remotest intolerance of lost productivity.

I'd suggest:

1 Meeting starts as soon as everyone arrives or 5 mins after scheduled time (and doesn't restart);
2 Invite/uninvite people as appropriate;
3 No agenda/clarity of purpose = no meeting;
4 Unnecessary if you have 3;
5 See 2 (or, with the behaviour you outline, serious words with those concerned);
6 Bring them back on topic?
7-10 Better chairperson?
11 Fire whichever IT bod set up the kit. Nobody's phone should ping with every email, have key clicks when they type, or include the "Sent from my..." footer.

...but I am an awkward sod who will refuse to go to meetings / leave after a few mins if it becomes apparent that the wrong people are there and/or I don't need to be.

[WTD]

Copy Goldmans approach with standing up meetings.

If everyone is lounging in chairs, the meetings always drag on.

Get everyone standing around a high table and set the max length of the meeting to be 20 minutes and you'll accomplish everything with minimal fuss as everyone gets fed up standing up.

I personally hate meetings - waste of time, want me in a meeting then organize it for 7am before the markets open, or after 7pm when I'm done for the day. You'll soon find out if the meeting is really required when you make people come in early or stay late to run it.

[cwis]

Eh? How about we fire the people who don't know how to use the kit instead?

Your kit, learn to use it. Or does someone still wipe your arse too?

IT Bod.

LooneyTunes said:

11 Fire whichever IT bod set up the kit. Nobody's phone should ping with every email, have key clicks when they type, or include the "Sent from my..." footer.

[Simpo Two]

cwis said:

Eh? How about we fire the people who don't know how to use the kit instead?

Your kit, learn to use it. Or does someone still wipe your arse too?

IT Bod.

But if they did, how many IT Bods would be out of a job?

[toon10]

We were all given specific training on company best practices as part of our induciton which include holding meetings. We have an agenda and action list template that is widely accepted as the only way to hold on site meetings. Every now and then someone turns up late but they know if they do, anything covered before they arrive is not gone over again in the meeting (wasting other peoples time) and they are likely to have been assigned a task on the task list

It's a culture thing. First and foremost you need good templates and practices set up along with traning and communication. Them and only then can you start to change the culture. It will take time to foster this.

[Foliage]

Get the most junior person you work with (preferably someone who is relatively new), tell him/her a couple of weeks ahead of time that they will be running/chairing 10 meetings from inviting to sorting out the minutes, tell them they will be getting assessed on their performance.


Once they have got the swing of it take note of what/how they do it and do that, use the 'reviewing performance' to ask them questions to work out a best practice for the company.

[KrazyIvan]

Sounds more like it's the waste of time meeting that's the problem

[cwis]

Erm... I would.

Bloody phones. Hateful devices.

Simpo Two said:

But if they did, how many IT Bods would be out of a job?

[ingelow]

could try this: http://teammeetingchecklist.com/

no affiliation, just came across it a while back and came to mind

[mike9009]

GT03ROB said:

Set the rules you want. Everyone agrees to them.

1. 1 in the pot for each breach enforced by the peer pressure. Money to charity or next piss up.

Basically enforce consequences for breach of mutually agreed rules.

I have seen this system work quite effectively. The 'shame' of putting a quid in the pot quickly sharpens peoples minds.

[Dr Jekyll]

Animal said:

A good chairperson is essential, preferably one who hates meetings. Also try locking out latecomers.

+1

There is a school of thought that people who like meetings should never be put in charge of anything. A little extreme but they certainly shouldn't be in charge of meetings.

[vescaegg]

Dr Jekyll said:

Animal said:

A good chairperson is essential, preferably one who hates meetings. Also try locking out latecomers.

+1

There is a school of thought that people who like meetings should never be put in charge of anything. A little extreme but they certainly shouldn't be in charge of meetings.

ive wasted countless days just sitting around because people like the sound of their own voice.

[mr_spock]

Animal said:

A good chairperson is essential, preferably one who hates meetings. Also try locking out latecomers.

A former manager of mine locked meeting room doors at the meeting start time. Anyone who was late got a talking to afterwards. This worked well until the day we were all there on time, he was late so we'd locked the doors. I didn't know anyone could go that shade of purple and still be alive. He did see the funny side, just not for a couple of hours.

[carreauchompeur]

I detest meetings. Very rarely accomplish anything other than boredom on the part of most of the participants.

In my department within the Police, we tend to be very good at coping, making things happen at any hour of the day and getting the job done despite adversity. Hence I absolutely hate multi-agency meetings because it tends to become terribly hand-wringy and is invariably filled with people who seem to love meetings. Shouldawouldacoulda brigade.

I will never cease to be amazed at the capacity of 9-5ers from other comfortable agencies who pick apart my decision making at 4am following 20hours straight at work with minutes left to charge or release a dangerous criminal.